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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28146390">Burning Low</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrateHoodlum/pseuds/IrateHoodlum'>IrateHoodlum</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:26:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,151</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28146390</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrateHoodlum/pseuds/IrateHoodlum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Leon battles Eternatus and loses his champion title, he is left injured and swamped with responsibilities and paperwork. On a walk with Raihan, a Lampent begins to stalk. Unbeknownst to him, the Lampent is not a new friend, and Raihan knows it all too well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It lurks in cities, pretending to be a lamp. Once it finds someone whose death is near, it will trail quietly behind them.”<br/>Pokedex entry: Lampent, Pokemon Shield</p><p> </p><p>	After Leon had lost his title of champion, he’d been hoping he’d have more time to spend with Raihan. You could imagine his disappointment when it only seemed like he had even more work to put up with in the aftermath. After the battle with Eternatus, he was dragged into the tournament in the middle of healing from the injuries; and after being defeated, he was tasked with cleaning up the mess that Rose made and attending interviews about his historical loss. It felt like the weight of the world was on him, and other people could see it.<br/>	Though Raihan offered to cover for him in certain events to let him rest, Leon always declined. Leon thought he was unbeatable still, in denial that he’d been injured, which caused Raihan significant stress. Raihan had his own problems to deal with, but he cared greatly for Leon. Anything to allow Leon to heal. They’d been dating for a while, their relationship not being especially public, but they were happy nonetheless. However, Leon rejecting Raihan’s help only to hurt himself further concerned him. </p><p>	The couple had gone on a walk in Wyndon, their Pokemon trailing behind them. It was a cool night, the clouds being a thin film dulling the light of the stars. Rose Tower loomed off in the distance, a ladder climbing the building with a man on a platform. Leon had spent lots of time drawing up the plans to repurpose the tower. When Raihan looked toward it, all he could see was Leon’s blood, sweat, and tears going into it. He didn’t say anything now, though, this was supposed to be a nice night. There were Drifloon floating above their heads, sleepy from the long day. Flying Taxis had been dropping people off to see the sights in Wyndon; and even after having been here so many times, Raihan and Leon were dazzled. When Leon looked up at the Frosmoth flitting about at the street lamps, he grinned. When Raihan noticed a Dreepy fading out of the shadows, he got excited.<br/>	“Hop just took up a job as Sonia’s assistant,” Leon said, “I’m really proud of him.”<br/>	“Good for him,” Raihan replied, “gotta be a lot of work, though. I could never.”<br/>	“Hop’s a tough kid, it runs in the family. Seeing how far he got in the Gym Challenge, being a professor would be a walk in the park for him.”<br/>	When Leon talked about Hop, his eyes seemed to shine a little. Raihan knew that Leon loved his brother, but he wondered if Hop knew that. Raihan wasn’t sure how to carry on, though. Leon’s avoided talking about himself lately, maybe because all he was up to these days was work. Raihan wanted to know what was going on in his life, though, and he let Leon know. <br/>	“How open is your day tomorrow?” Leon asked, “I was gonna head to Postwick and have lunch with the family.”<br/>	Raihan thought for a moment. “I can come with you,” he replied, “always good to see your folks.”<br/>	“Great!” Leon chirped, “I’ll call her when we get home, it’ll be good to see everyone.”<br/>	Raihan smiled. Leon finally had a day off, and he was using it wonderfully. <br/>	Before they could continue their conversation, Raihan stopped walking. They’d just passed a street lamp, but a purple light was emanating from it. He turned back around to get a better look, but the street lamp was back to its typical yellow-white color. He raised an eyebrow and kept walking, but not for long. <br/>	The source of the purple light was a Lampent, and it’d moved away from the street lamp and taken to floating above Leon’s head. Raihan turned pale in seconds. <br/>	“Leon, there’s a Lampent above you…” Raihan quietly pointed out. <br/>	Clearly noticing Raihan’s fear (and not understanding), he looked up to see the little creature. The Lampent looked back down at him, right in the eyes. To Raihan’s surprise, Leon smiled big.<br/>	“D’aww,” Leon cooed, “it likes me.”<br/>	Raihan didn’t like that reaction, not one bit. A Lampent anywhere near you is bad news. Even little Litwick can steal away life force, but a Lampent waits for you to die. Raihan had connected the dots long ago that the workload was hurting Leon, but was it killing him? The injury, maybe?<br/>	“Raihan?” Leon asked, “why are you looking at me like that?”<br/>	What do I tell him? Raihan thought to himself, would it be wrong to say he’s dying at a time like this? He thought again, maybe it wasn’t a death omen. Sure, that’s why Lampent appears, but maybe it really is just a wild Pokemon who likes him. <br/>	“Sorry, I must’ve zoned out,” Raihan lied. Not just to Leon, maybe a little bit to himself.<br/>	“I might catch this little guy,” Leon said, “it doesn’t seem to want to leave. It’s nice and warm, too, I can feel the heat from the fire. I’d like a little guy like this.”<br/>	Raihan’s blood ran cold, but he tried to hold a neutral expression. CATCH it? He could understand letting it hang around him, but to keep that with him? He swallowed hard, feeling horrified. Nonetheless, he had to keep up his facade, he couldn’t say anything unless he was sure.<br/>	“I guess if he likes you, go ahead,” Raihan said, his voice just barely cracking. Leon didn’t seem to notice, though; he was already preparing a Pokeball. Leon looked the Lampent in the eyes, the hollow eyes with no life behind them. The Pokemon was still and silent, getting a good look at Leon.<br/>	“Do you wanna come with me, Lampent?” Leon asked.<br/>	Lampent perked up a little, letting out a ghostly cry. Leon smiled at him, holding up the Pokeball and throwing it at Lampent. The thing didn’t even shake once before Lampent burst from it suddenly. Leon jerked back, confused.<br/>	“What’s wrong?” he asked the Pokemon, “don’t you want to come with me?”<br/>	Lampent extended its curled arm and pointed at the ball, then shook its bright head at it. Leon seemed to pick up on this, but Raihan was growing more worried every second.<br/>	“I get you, you want to come with me but you don’t want to live in the ball,” Leon giggled, “I can respect that, little buddy.”<br/>	Raihan noticed something suspicious about that. If Lampent wanted to travel with Leon, why didn’t it stay in the ball? Maybe it was because the ball is uncomfortable, but Raihan had caught lots of Pokemon before who willingly stayed in the ball. Why would Leon want to keep this sinister thing around?<br/>	“Lampent’s coming home with us. It’ll be a great member of the team!” Leon piped up. <br/>	“Sounds fine,” Raihan said, about ready to grab the Lampent with his bare hands and throw it.<br/>	The walk home felt longer, Raihan zoning in and out as he moved. His Flygon put a claw on his shoulder, as if to ask what was wrong, but Raihan pet his Pokemon and assured him everything was okay. The Lampent was silent through the whole walk, Leon’s Charizard seeming somewhat uncomfortable with it. Raihan chalked it up to them having just met, though. He didn’t want to believe Leon was in danger. <br/>	When they finally entered the apartment, Lampent didn’t bother exploring like the other Pokemon tended to. The Pokemon would not leave Leon’s side, it refused to. Raihan stared at it, afraid. <br/>	“I’m gonna take a shower,” Leon told Raihan, “you can go to bed if you want.”<br/>	“Okay,” Raihan replied, moving over to Leon and kissing him on the cheek, “goodnight, love.”<br/>	“Goodnight,” Leon repeated. <br/>	Raihan watched Leon move to the bathroom door, the Lampent following him. Halfway in the door, Leon nudged it out the door with his hands, telling it to give him some privacy, When the door was shut and locked, the Lampent continued to stare at the door, not taking its eyes away. Raihan felt a cold chill down his spine, but tried to ignore it as he got ready for bed. Raihan pulled off his shoes, hoodie, shirt, and pants, crawling into bed and putting the blanket over him. From the covers, he watched the Lampent unblinkingly staring. That was the last thing he saw before he shut his eyes.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Dream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raihan didn’t sleep well that night. <br/>	He found himself in a dream, one of the Lampent that Leon brought home. Leon’s face was pale, almost ghostly, his body weight having halved since he’d last seen him. His breaths were shallow and small, his heart hardly beating. <br/>	Raihan tried to scream, but he couldn’t. He opened his mouth and his voice refused to ring out. Leon struggled to speak, to respond to his boyfriend in distress. Raihan ran over, trying to get close enough to hear. Leon pulled his head up as much as he could, his dead eyes looking up at Raihan. Raihan pleaded silently to Leon to save his strength, not to die. His ears began to ring, the sound increasing the more that Leon struggled to speak. Leon’s eyes were open, but he couldn’t see a thing. Leon’s head fell, then his whole body with a thud. Raihan bent down to pick him up, but he was knocked back. <br/>	The Lampent floated up above him, preparing to use Shadow Ball. Raihan ignored that and tried to grab Leon, but it was no use. Lampent was stronger than him, and he’d come for his prey. Its long arms wrapped around Leon, picking him up and carrying him as if he weighed nothing. Raihan had tears in his eyes as his ears rang louder, the sound obscuring the cackling laughter of Leon’s captor. <br/>	“NO NO NO NO NO, NO!”<br/>	Raihan opened his eyes, his face soaked wet with tears. He sat up in bed, looking around for Leon. To his relief, Leon was fast asleep, his chest rising up and down as it should be. Raihan was relieved for a half a moment until he’d noticed the Lampent watching Leon sleep. <br/>	Raihan clenched his teeth and drew in a breath. He didn’t want to get worked up and angry, not tonight, and especially not at a floating lamp. He sighed and snuggled up closer to Raihan, careful wrapping an arm around him and shutting his eyes. If that thing wants to hurt Leon, it’ll have to get past me first.</p><p>	Leon’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of his Rotom phone ringing. Surprised, he flung his head up, accidentally headbutting the Lampent. Leon was so distracted he hardly noticed, and he didn’t even bother asking why it’d been so close to him to begin with. He flung over to the nightstand and snatched it up, answering with a frantic hello. <br/>	“Hey Lee, it’s Hop,” his brother answered, “mom wants to know what time you’re coming.”<br/>	Lampent wailed out in its ghostly tone at the sound of Hop’s voice, which caught his attention instantly. <br/>	“Sorry Hop, this is a Lampent I caught last night,” Leon apologized, “guy really warmed up to me so I decided to take it home.”<br/>	There were a few moments of silence before Hop responded with a hesitant “nice.” Confused, Leon shrugged it off and continued the conversation.<br/>	“Raihan is taking the day off, so he’s coming with me,” Leon said with a smile.<br/>	“Mom will be excited. She misses you, you know!” Hop teased.<br/>	“Yeah, I know,” Leon chuckled, “it’ll be good to see her. Anyway, I think we should get there around noon.”<br/>	“I’d start getting ready now, then,” Hop dryly responded, “it’s 11.”<br/>	Leon turned to the clock, shocked. Without thinking, he hung up the phone and opened his drawer. Lampent swirled around to catch up, but Leon shoved it back so he could focus on finding an outfit. The Pokemon flew back into a sleeping Raihan, who woke up upon impact. When he saw the Lampent in his face, he shoved it aside with his hand.<br/>	“What time is it?” Raihan asked.<br/>	“About 11, sorry for waking you so suddenly,” Leon profusely apologized, “we’re leaving for Postwick soon!”<br/>	“Ack!” Raihan leapt out of bed, “sorry I wasn’t awake sooner!”<br/>	Both of them were shoved into one another looking frantically for outfits. Leon settled with a maroon turtleneck sweater and black leather pants while Raihan put on a black button-up with a suit jacket over it and beige pants to complete the look. Raihan’s sneakers seemed to throw the outfit off, but it was just what he found easier to put on. Raihan and Leon stepped outside and approached the Flying Taxi’s driver. <br/>	“To Postwick, please,” Raihan asked.<br/>	The couple climbed inside the cab, which took to the sky quickly. In the rush of things, Raihan hadn’t even noticed the Lampent asleep inside Leon’s long, purple hair. He tried not to stare during the ride, though. The nightmare had to be a coincidence, he was just paranoid. Having the Lampent on the brain is what caused it, that’s all. Raihan leaned his head on Leon’s shoulder, trying to relax for a moment. Leon noticed, lowering his head and nuzzling into Raihan’s hair.<br/>	“You tired?” Leon asked.<br/>	“Little bit,” Raihan replied, stifling a yawn.<br/>	“It’ll be another 30 minutes, take a nap with me,” Leon invited.<br/>	Raihan grinned, snuggling a bit closer and closing his eyes. Leon rested his hand on top of Raihan’s and let out a breath. The two relaxed, falling asleep in each other’s embrace.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lunch with the Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leon woke with the taxi’s impact with the ground. Raihan opened his eyes, confused for a moment until remembering the day they had planned. The Lampent flew from Leon’s hair, dancing in front of Leon’s face.<br/>	“Aw, you came with us!” Leon chriped.<br/>	Raihan resisted the urge to grimace, wishing it hadn’t come and uncomfortable how much Leon loved that thing. The two of them approached the door with their “guest” in tow, then knocked on it three times. Leon’s mom answered the door, a smile on her face. Leon grinned and leaned in to hug her, Raihan offering his hand to shake. They were let inside, Hop on the sofa next to his mom’s Purrloin. <br/>	“Hey, Lee!” Hop cheered, “glad you could make it. You too, Raihan!”<br/>	“Nice to see you, Hop,” Leon greeted, Raihan nodding. 	<br/>	Hop had his eyes on the Lampent, who was intently watching Leon as if to make sure it didn’t lose sight of him. <br/>	“So...that’s your new Lampent, huh?” Hop asked, discomfort in his voice.<br/>	“Yeah, it hasn’t left my side since I brought it home!” Leon excitedly said. <br/>	Hop and Raihan exchanged looks, Hop clearly somewhat afraid of a Lampent following his brother around. He never did bring it up, same as Raihan, for what could only be assumed to be a similar reason to Raihan’s as well. <br/>	“Sit down, then,” Hop invited, “Victor is outside helping my mom barbecue. Cinderace is a great help, you know!”<br/>	“Oh, I bet,” Raihan added, “Turtonator and Charizard make a great team in the kitchen, too.”<br/>	“Sonia’s cooking is pretty good, but it’ll never beat mom’s,” Hop marveled.<br/>	The playful banter seemed to distract everyone from the fact that the Lampent had taken his eyes away from Leon and turned to Purrloin. Purrloin had obviously noticed, but didn’t give it any attention. <br/>	“Barbecue’s ready!” Victor called from the backyard.<br/>	Hop raced off the couch to get outside first, with Leon in tow and Raihan walking behind him with a grin on his face. The three of them picked up their paper plates and filled them with ribs and crisps. <br/>	“I learned this recipe on my trip to Unova,” Hop’s mom said, “if you like it, I’ll be happy to make it again!”<br/>	Leon took a bite, and the look on his face was telltale. He nodded and swallowed.<br/>	“This is brilliant, mom!” he cheered.<br/>	She blushed and continued eating her food. Leon wiped his fingers with a paper napkin before he continued. Raihan had started eating but something was distracting him a bit, where was Lampent? Hop stared at Raihan, seemingly having noticed the same thing. <br/>	“Where’d your Lampent go?” Hop asked.<br/>	Leon glanced around, evident that he didn’t notice before Hop had pointed it out. Leon shrugged.<br/>	“Maybe it just felt like staying inside,” he explained. <br/>	Hop shrugged back and kept eating. Victor hadn’t spoken much at all, but he was more of a quiet type anyway. His Cinderace, however, was playing with Hop’s Dubwool. One would assume the two had become friends to some degree while traveling Galar together. <br/>	Leon cleaned his hands and picked up his paper plate. On his way to the back door to take it to the trash can, he encountered the Lampent in the doorway. It took its place hovering near Leon’s head yet again.<br/>	“Why’d you stay in, little chap?” Leon asked, “I could’ve offered you some food.”<br/>	Leon continued on his way inside. Hardly a moment had passed before Leon had screamed from inside the house. Hop leapt out of his seat and flung the door open, followed by his mom, Victor, and Raihan. Leon had tears in his eyes as he pointed over to the sofa. On it was his mother’s Purrloin, dead as a doornail. Everyone was speechless.<br/>	“How did this happen?” Leon asked.<br/>	Hop’s face was white as a ghost. That Purrloin had been their mom’s for years, it was a shock to see it dead so suddenly.<br/>	“Well,” Leon’s mom said, “it was a little bit old. It must’ve just been its time.”<br/>	Raihan frowned, the sight of it was uncomfortable. However, not as uncomfortable as knowing that the only one inside at the time was Lampent; and now that Purrloin was dead, it was back to hovering around Leon as if nothing happened. Hop looked at Raihan, then nodded his head to point upstairs. The two went up the stairs and into Hop’s room, alone.<br/>	“How long has he had that Lampent?” Hop asked. <br/>	“Since yesterday,” Raihan replied, “it approached us at night in Wyndon and it hasn’t left his side since, only right before Purrloin died…”<br/>	Hop grimaced, clearly uncomfortable with the notion of his brother stalked by a ghost. Hop had been researching Pokemon with Sonia, if anyone knew what the Lampent implied, Hop did. <br/>	“Is Leon ill or something?” Hop asked, “Lampent don’t just kill people, they wait until someone is about to die.”<br/>	Raihan looked at the floor, “well, with the injuries from the fight with Eternatus, being thrusted into a championship match, and on top of that being responsible for reforming all of Rose’s facilities, the workload and physical injury must be taxing on him.”<br/>	“Haven’t you said anything?” Hop pleaded, “this is serious!”<br/>	“Yes, I have, he just doesn’t think he needs help!” Raihan said, “I don’t know what to do!” <br/>	Hop was silent for a moment. His head hung down at the floor, distressed and uncomfortable. Raihan couldn’t bear to look at his face. It was as if he was already grieving the loss of his brother. <br/>	“We need to help him,” Hop stated, choking back tears, “I don’t want him to die.”<br/>	Raihan nodded, not having much else to say on the matter. His suspicions seem to have been confirmed.<br/>	And he was afraid.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Shopping Trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raihan woke in the night to a shuffling in the bed. Nervous that something had happened, he looked right up to see the bathroom door open and the light on. He turned his head to the digital clock on the nightstand, which read “5 A.M.” Why was Leon up and about this early. Leon peered out from inside the bathroom, then noticed Raihan staring.<br/>	“Sorry!” Leon apologized, “did I wake you up?”<br/>	“No, it’s okay,” Raihan reassured him, “why are you up so early?”<br/>	Leon scratched his head and looked at the floor, shame in his eyes. Raihan grew worried. <br/>	“I got a text from the League staff, they want me over at Rose Tower in about ten minutes,” Leon replied, “they weren’t especially happy with me taking the day off yesterday, so I’ll need to approve the renovations and ideas made without me on top of the usual.”<br/>	Raihan frowned at him. Why would they call him into work this early? Leon picked up on Raihan’s dismay pretty quickly and felt ashamed. Leon never meant to hurt or ignore Raihan with how much time he spent working, it was just what he was used to. Additionally, he didn’t want extra work heaped onto Raihan, and this was why he always told him he didn’t need any help. It didn’t feel fair to Leon to have his boyfriend bearing the burden of his job.<br/>	“What time will you be back?” Raihan asked, “usual time?”<br/>	“They said around 8 p.m. since I’m coming in so early,” Leon said.<br/>	“I’ll try to have dinner ready by then,” Raihan replied, “I’ll figure out what once it’s closer to that time.”<br/>	Leon walked back over to the bed, bent down, and kissed Raihan on the cheek. Raihan smiled a little, trying to mask his worry.<br/>	“I’ll see you then,” Leon told him, “love you.”<br/>	“Love you,” Raihan replied, watching Leon walk out the door. Of course, the Lampent trailed silently behind him. How will the staff react to seeing that thing, anyway? Raihan shook it off and rested his head back down on the pillow. He just wanted to go back to sleep, if he was asleep he wouldn’t be thinking about this.<br/>	But he couldn’t. <br/>	His eyes had been shut for what felt like ages, he tossed around the bed to get in a more comfortable position, but he stayed awake. The idea of Leon being hurt at work rattled around the inside of his skull, taunting him. Raihan pulled himself out of his bed and opened his drawer, which held his Pokeballs. He picked up a Luxury ball and tossed it into the corner of the room. Out came his Altaria, which made a soft cry upon seeing Raihan.<br/>	“Altaria, please use Sing,” he asked, getting back into bed.<br/>	Altaria gave him a sad look. This was not the first time Raihan had asked this of him. Ever since Leon went to hospital for his injuries, he’d had bouts of insomnia. Altaria waddled up to the bed and sat next to Raihan, who laid his head into Altaria’s puffy cotton. He ran his fingers through it slowly, which Altaria liked. Altaria began to hum, which turned into singing. It was a familiar tune, too. Altaria had been singing “Stranded Lullaby,” a calm song which helped him sleep. Raihan’s face softened, finally beginning to feel tired. The softness of Altaria’s fur helped Raihan drift off comfortably into a dreamless sleep.</p><p>	When he’d woken up, Altaria raised its head and gave him a look. Raihan gave it a rub on the head and it grinned, happy to have helped him.<br/>	“Thank you,” he said, “return.”<br/>	He sent Altaria back inside the ball, then put it back in the drawer. He decided it was time to get up and get out of the house. He put on a pair of jeans, threw his hoodie over his head, not bothering to put something on underneath it, and pulled out a Love Ball from inside the drawer. He sent out Goomy, which was the size of a soccer ball compared to Raihan’s height.<br/>	“Hey, buddy,” Raihan said with a smile, “do you wanna come with me to the grocery store?”<br/>	Goomy smiled big and wiggled its small body with delight. Raihan picked up the small slug and tucked it in his hood. He doesn’t like to go anywhere alone, he got used to taking Leon with him most places. He was also no good at picking out groceries, and since he cooks a lot for his Pokemon, he’ll let them help pick out ingredients. He grabbed his apartment key, patted Goomy on the head, and left for Hammerlocke. </p><p>	When he arrived, Goomy was smelling around a great deal for fresh fruit. Its favorite were oranges for the texture and sweet taste. Raihan grabbed the small basket and put a bag of oranges inside, much to his Pokemon’s delight. He was in the mood for spaghetti, so he made for the soup aisle to pick up the sauce and noodles. He loved angel hair pasta the most, picking up two boxes for it to make enough for his Pokemon. He put the tomato sauce in his bag, then made it to the checkout. <br/>	Goomy made excited noises, seemingly begging Raihan to let him have an orange. Raihan laughed softly.<br/>	“We have to wait until we get home, buddy,” he told Goomy.<br/>	When he turned back around, he noticed a familiar figure checking out his items. The mask he wore was unmistakable, it was Allister. What was he doing out in Hammerlocke? His Mimikyu sat up on his shoulder, picking up the grocery bags with its shadowy arms. He heard Allister thank the cashier, then Mimikyu, before heading for the door.<br/>	Then, Raihan had an idea. <br/>	Allister knows a lot about Ghost Type Pokemon, it’s even said that he can see the dead. Would Allister know about the situation with Lampent? Raihan couldn’t deny that the thing was dangerous, but Allister knew more about the Ghost Type than anybody else in Galar. <br/>	As Raihan checked out his items, he decided he would catch up to Allister and ask him some questions, just to be absolutely positive. He picked up his bags and rushed outside the door, looking frantically for the young boy. Allister was headed for the sidewalk, going home by foot, it seemed. He raced over to catch up with him, his Rotom phone flying out of his hoodie pocket and levitating behind him. Allister turned around, seemingly afraid, but softening up somewhat upon seeing Raihan. <br/>	“Hi, Raihan,” Allister quietly said, “it’s nice to see you.”<br/>	“Likewise,” Raihan replied, “are you walking home?”<br/>	“Yes,” Allister answered, “it’s not that far.” <br/>	Raihan shook his head, “I’ll call a Flying Taxi for you, I don’t mind.”<br/>	“Oh…” Allister turned his head, “thank you.”<br/>	Raihan smiled, dialing the number into his Rotom Phone. One arrived in no time at all, and Allister and Raihan boarded it.<br/>	“To Stow-on-Side, please,” Raihan told the driver.<br/>	The ride would be short, but private enough for Raihan to ask about the Lampent. He was nervous, but if he didn’t ask now, he may never get an answer until Leon was truly dead.<br/>	“What do you know about Ghost Type Pokemon?” Raihan asked.<br/>	“A lot,” Allister asked, “do you have a certain one in mind?”<br/>	Raihan swallowed, “yes. Do you know about Lampent?”<br/>	Allister was quiet, looking around for a moment, then responding.<br/>	“Why do you want to know about Lampent?” he asked, “people don’t ask much about it.”<br/>	“Well…” Raihan was conflicted. He could understand telling Hop about Leon’s situation, but that’s because they were brothers. Allister may tell the whole League Staff about it, or worse. Yeah, he thought, maybe I should keep that to myself.<br/>	“The Pokedex entry,” Raihan started, “says that they follow people who are going to die soon. Is that true?”<br/>	“Yes,” Allister answered, “it’s hard to say how soon, but death is coming for anyone a Lampent warms up to. I’ve seen it happen myself, they typically hang out around hospitals, which further proves it.”<br/>	That had to have been the worst thing Raihan could’ve heard today. He was right all along, an expert on Ghost Types had confirmed it undoubtedly. <br/>	“Why does it do that?” Raihan asked. <br/>	“They steal spirits, typically to eat them” Allister explained, “instead of draining the life force from people like a Litwick does, it’s easier to wait for the souls to come to you.”<br/>	Raihan grimaced. He couldn’t imagine a worse fate than dying a slow death, then having your soul eaten by a sentient lamp. With all the uncertainty of whether or not there’s an afterlife or if people become Pokemon, this certainly was much more uncomfortable. Allister noticed this pretty quickly.<br/>	“What’s on your mind?” he asked.<br/>	“It’s just…” Raihan said, “it’s nothing, it’s just a scary thought.”<br/>	“If you insist,” Allister responded skeptically.<br/>	The Flying Taxi landed, which prompted Allister to step out. He thanked Raihan for the ride and made his way back to the gym. Raihan poked his head out the window and turned to the driver. <br/>	“Please take me to Wyndon,” he asked.<br/>	The driver nodded, taking off swiftly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So many hits in just one night! Thank you all for the support, it means a lot that you've been reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Confusion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leon left Rose Tower around 10 p.m. that night, his Lampent tangling itself in his hair. He ended up stuck there longer than he’d been promised, which greatly annoyed him. He cared a great deal for Galar, and he considered making the region better a reward for his work, but it stretched him thin. He was holding a coffee in his hands, which was both warming him up and keeping him awake. Lampent stayed quiet while Leon trudged his way across Wyndon, but his faint flame warmed up the back of Leon’s neck, which felt nice. <br/>	He didn’t know if he could make it back to his apartment on foot, he felt exhausted from the day. His legs were burning and his back felt like it would snap in two. The fight with Eternatus was two weeks ago, but he was still in lots of pain from it. He didn’t want to make a big scene of it, though, so he tried to carry on as if the battle had never happened. That was a mistake, he knew, but he didn’t like the idea of vying for attention right after losing his champion title. <br/>	The Lampent let out a wail to get Leon’s attention. Leon turned to face it, the Pokemon looking him directly in the eyes. <br/>	“What’re you trying to say?” he asked, not expecting an answer.<br/>	The Lampent waved about its arms, its eyes glowing suddenly and its voice loud as it howled. A few glowing lights shot out from its curled arms, encircling Leon, who followed them with his eyes. It only took a few seconds before Leon felt a headache coming on, his ears beginning to ring, and his vision blurring. <br/>	“Damn, I think I’ve got a migraine,” he muttered.<br/>	Leon couldn’t see Lampent anymore, in fact, he couldn’t see much of anything. The buildings around him seemed to distort somewhat, the people around him were unrecognizable. However, as the ringing increased in volume, he began to hear it turn into screaming. He looked around at the vague people, agitated and exhausted, the sight of them filling him with rage. His ears felt like they would split in two. He began to glare as he clamped his hands over his ears.<br/>	“STOP SCREAMING!” he shouted, “STOP IT OR I’LL, I JUST MIGHT…”<br/>	He couldn’t finish, his mind was a blank; not forming a full sentence that he felt could describe the feeling of rage. He yelled at the top of his voice, sprinting up to the nearest stranger he could. <br/>	“LEAVE ME ALONE!” he gripped the stranger’s shoulders and screamed into his face. The stranger wore a vacant expression, his mouth still wide open as if he were continuing to scream just to torture him. Leon couldn’t take it for another second, rearing his head back and bashing it into the stranger’s face. The expression remained unchanged, prompting Leon to continue.<br/>	He smacked him, and he smacked him. With each impact, his head began to hurt, but the sound began to dull. Leon needed it to be quiet, he didn’t care if it hurt, he was ready to cry and scream. <br/>	With a fifth impact against the stranger’s head, Leon’s vision went black. </p><p>	When Leon came to, he was met with a black ceiling. Splitting pain ran through his skull and he groaned. When he rolled over, his Lampent was asleep next to him. The Lampent had bruises on it and its light was barely flickering. <br/>	“It must’ve been hurt, too,” Leon mumbled.<br/>	Leon got a better look around, seeing every wall was black. The nightstand next to the bed had a glass of water on it, and next to the glass was some aspirin and a note. He picked up the note, which was written in chicken scratch.<br/>	“FOUND YOU PASSED OUT, YOUR HEAD’S HURT SO I LEFT ASPIRIN. <br/>	-PIERS”<br/>	Leon finally had some good luck to come out of this. He popped two aspirin in his mouth and gulped down the water, waiting for the pain to wear off. He ran a hand over his Pokemon’s head and looked forward at the wall. In a chair, a Scrafty sat with its arms crossed. <br/>	“Hullo,” Leon said. <br/>	The Pokemon disregarded it, stepping out of the chair and standing next to the bed. It seemed to inspect Leon’s bruises for a moment, as if to make sure Leon was okay. When it was satisfied, it picked up the empty water glass and aspirin, then left the room. In about a minute, the Pokemon returned with the Dark Type gym leader in tow. Piers folded his arms, clearly ready to lecture Leon about what happened that night. <br/>	“Hey,” Leon said, “do you know what happened to me out there?”<br/>	Piers groaned at him and rolled his eyes.<br/>	“That’s what I was gonna ask you,” he snapped back, “what the hell were you doing? I found you in a back alley in Wyndon smacking your head against a trash can!” <br/>	Leon was confused, did he actually do that? He didn’t remember much of anything after he left Rose Tower last night, but trying to remember only intensified his headache.<br/>	“Obstagoon carried you to the Flying Taxi, you’re in my flat right now,” Piers told him, “you’re lucky it was me who noticed you, it’s unbecoming of our former champion to act like that.”<br/>	“I don’t remember doing that, though,” Leon explained, “I was out at night in Wyndon and my vision faded, my ears started ringing, and from there I don’t remember much.”<br/>	“You were clearly confused,” Piers said, “people don’t just get like that and at the same time have the strength to act like you did.”<br/>	“Doesn’t that only happen to Pokemon?” Leon dumbly asked.<br/>	“Jigglypuff puts humans to sleep when it uses Sing, so why wouldn’t Confuse Ray confuse a human?” Piers rhetorically asked. <br/>	Leon just shrugged. Hopefully no one saw him if he really was acting like that, and in public no less!<br/>	“I can take you to hospital if you want,” Piers offered, “you and your Lampent got pretty banged up.”<br/>	“No, no, I’m fine,” Leon insisted, “I’ll just call a Flying Taxi and go back to Wyndon.”<br/>	“Seems like it’d be smarter to stay here and rest instead of going home in a hurry.”	<br/>	“Don’t worry about it.”<br/>	“What’re you gonna tell Raihan? He’ll wanna know what you were doing here.”<br/>	“I’ll just give it to him straight, I’ve got no reason to lie to him.”<br/>	“Good,” Piers said, dialing the number for a Flying Taxi. <br/>	Leon made his way out of the room, Lampent trailing slowly behind him. Piers and Scrafty walked outside with him, making sure he got to the cab okay. Leon waved and thanked Piers for his help, then asked the driver to take him back to Wyndon. It was a quick ride, only about five minutes. <br/>	When Leon opened the door to his apartment, Raihan’s head spun around to see him. He sprinted up to Leon, hugging him suddenly.<br/>	“Piers said you were hurt!” Raihan yelped, “what happened?”<br/>	Leon laughed nervously, “just an accident in Wyndon, I went unconscious. I’m fine, really!”<br/>	Raihan gripped Leon a little tighter, trying not to cry.<br/>	“I was worried sick, please be careful,” he pleaded. <br/>	Leon nodded, rubbing a hand across Raihan’s back, “I’ll do my best. I’m sorry.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Conflict</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raihan had demanded that Leon take the day off to rest, given how bad his injuries were the previous day. Leon felt guilty not going to work, but he felt he owed it to Raihan for worrying him so badly yesterday. He hadn’t left his bed since he came home from Piers’ place yesterday, and he was starting to feel a bit better. He only wanted to take this one day off though, since he knew how badly the work would pile up if he took too much time off. One could even argue it’s what got him into this mess in the first place. <br/>	Charizard had been sitting next to the bed, not only keeping watch on Leon but making sure that Lampent wasn’t up to anything funny. Charizard didn’t get jealous of Leon’s other Pokemon, it respected everyone on the team. However, something about that Lampent set it off. It was no coincidence that Lampent didn’t like Charizard much either. <br/>	Leon sat up from the bed, stepping up to get to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, a little bit uncomfortable with what he saw. A small gash was visible near his head, not big enough to need stitches, but it will certainly leave a scar. His eyes had dark bags under them, and he hadn’t shaved much in a long while. He wasn’t just injured, he was generally in bad shape. What would he have done if Piers hadn’t helped him? <br/>	He looked away, trying to deny that he’d gotten this bad. He had to have just been overblowing the situation, he was doing fine. Sure, he wasn’t getting much sleep, but at least he was sleeping at all, right? Plus, he hadn’t broken any bones in his encounters with Eternatus and his incident yesterday; he could get around just fine! Yeah, I’m okay, he thought. <br/>	When he was finished, he stepped back into the bedroom only to see Charizard preparing to use Ancient Power on a cowering Lampent. Leon yelled at Charizard to stop and ran up to the Lampent to console it. <br/>	“What’s wrong, Charizard?” Leon asked, “why would you do that?”<br/>	Charizard glared at the Lampent, snarling. Leon was confused, this was very unlike Charizard. Lampent rushed back to Leon’s side and comfortably wrapped its arms around Leon’s neck. Leon rubbed his hand across its head, trying to reassure it that Charizard wasn’t a threat. <br/>	“Please don’t let this happen again,” he told Charizard, who grunted in response. Leon stepped out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, ready to make himself a quick coffee. Leon liked cream in his coffee, and lots of it. He liked sweeter flavors, so the bitter taste of coffee naturally was detestable to him. He only drank it for the caffeine, after all. When he approached the pot, a sleepy Dreepy was having a nap inside of it. Leon chuckled and removed it, setting it on a soft dish towel. He watched the coffee pour into the pot, then prepared the cream to make his drink. <br/>	Leon took a sip of it, his head out the window, which overlooked a cloudy sky and Rookidee flying nearby. A few Phantump had also drifted by the window, looking around for friends and comfortable in the cloudy day. Leon loved the sight of Pokemon, it made him happy. His Dragapult was out of its ball, one Dreepy floating up and watching the birds, the other one asleep on Leon’s dish towel. He preferred to have his Pokemon out of their balls and allowed them to eat his cooking. They were his friends, after all. </p><p>	When the late evening rolled around, Raihan had come home from the gym. He gave Leon a kiss on the forehead and put down his bag.<br/>	“Slow day today?” Leon asked.<br/>	“Yes, but it wasn’t all bad,” Raihan replied, “Sebastian’s Sliggoo evolved yesterday, so he battled a trainer with a Goodra this time.”<br/>	“That’s good news,” Leon said with a smile.<br/>	“Anything happen while I was out?” Raihan asked.<br/>	“Well,” Leon began, “Charizard attacked my Lampent while I wasn’t looking. I think maybe the big guy’s a little jealous.”<br/>	“That’s really unlike it,” Raihan said, “was Charizard attacked first?”<br/>	“I don’t know, but the look on Lampent’s face sort of told me that it was unprompted. Poor little guy seemed horrified.”<br/>	Raihan frowned. He knew what was going on. Judging by his talks with Hop and Allister, it seems like everybody did except Leon himself. <br/>	“Don’t you think that Lampent could be a little bit dangerous, though?” Raihan asked, “judging by the situation with Purrloin, Charizard attacking it, your incident yesterday… It seems like that Lampent either attracts trouble or creates it.”<br/>	“What are you saying?” Leon pressed, “you’re blaming all of this on my Lampent? Little guy has hardly left my side since I brought it home, it’d never hurt me!”<br/>	“Leon, don’t you know what it means if a Lampent is following you? Hop and I are worried that it may notice your bad health and…”<br/>	“Oh, I see what this is,” Leon said with a grimace, “I’m not in bad health, okay? You think the Lampent thinks I’m gonna die, I’m not even close!”<br/>	Raihan was about ready to cry, he couldn’t believe he actually had to explain this to his boyfriend. He was completely in denial!<br/>	“Please,” Leon said, “I don’t want to talk about this.”<br/>	“But we need to!” Raihan pleaded, “if you don’t address it, you’ll only get worse!”<br/>	Leon became incredibly irritated at this statement.<br/>	“I’m doing fine, okay?!” he snapped, “I’m not hurt that badly, the Lampent has been a great companion while I’ve been working, and I’m proud to be doing such valuable work! What about that is so hard for you to understand?”<br/>	Raihan stood up and shouted, “what don’t YOU understand about this Lampent wanting you dead!?”<br/>	Leon felt out of breath, so out of breath he wasn’t able to get out his next statement. Raihan’s eyes were flooded with tears, exhausted but concerned for Leon. He grew even more concerned once he noticed Leon starting to stagger on his feet. Leon couldn’t see anything, his head was burning, and he couldn’t keep his balance. Raihan yelled, but not in anger. Leon had hit the floor, prompting Raihan to rush over to him and check his pulse. His heart was still beating, Leon was only unconscious. <br/>	Raihan picked up Leon in his arms and yelled for his Rotom Phone, calling 999.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>100 hits in one day? Damn, thank you guys so much! This is my first Pokemon fanfiction, so I'm excited to see so many people reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Research and Questioning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hop came home from the Wild Area late that night. His research was very demanding field work, but additionally, Hop just loved to learn about Pokemon. His notebook was full of notes on different species, sometimes many more than were necessary. The Wild Area near Motostoke was full of interesting Pokemon, especially in Axew’s Eye, so his coming home late was not unusual. Sonia didn’t always appreciate it, but she didn’t mind having so much information on Pokemon that even she didn’t know. Hop cared a lot for Pokemon, even though they could be horrifically dangerous at times. <br/>	When Hop sat down at the desk, Sonia greeted him with a wave, her Yamper bounding behind her. Hop pulled out his notebook and handed it to the professor, who gladly took it.<br/>	“This is the information I gathered today,” he said, “I was closer to Motostoke this time.”<br/>	Sonia opened the notebook, skimming through the pages and processing what Pokemon she’d written about. Inside the pages were lots of doodles of Litwick, Lampent, and Chandelure. Not just doodles, but notes down to the most minute detail on how they behaved, moved, and interacted with others. She gave Hop a confused look. Hop usually took excessive notes on single Pokemon, but he’d never observed so few Pokemon in one day.<br/>	“What’s your particular interest in these few?” she asked, placing the notebook back on the desk.<br/>	“Well, I wanted to see some wild ones to get a feel for how dangerous they were,” Hop answered.<br/>	Sonia raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t really like Hop to perceive any Pokemon as dangerous. Though he knew Pokemon are all potentially dangerous, that’s never what he defaults to when observing.<br/>	“What’s going on?” Sonia asked.<br/>	Hop was quiet for a moment, holding in a breath and a lump in his throat. Sonia immediately noticed, sitting down in the stool next to his. She put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. Hop could trust her, he knew it, but this was a big situation for him. Maybe Sonia was the right person to tell, though. She was Leon’s childhood friend, and she knew more about Pokemon than anybody else he knew. Hop let out the breath he was holding.<br/>	“I’m worried about Leon,” Hop forced out, “a Lampent has been stalking him since the fight with Eternatus and his assignment to renovate the Rose Tower. The workload and injury may be taking a toll on him, and I don’t want to believe it but the Lampent really does suggest he might die.”<br/>	Sonia turned pale. She and Leon weren’t as close as they used to be, there was no doubting that. However, she’d still known Leon almost her whole life and had been close to him. He was strong, but she knew he wasn’t invincible. In her response, she did her best to hold her composure.<br/>	“Have you brought this up to him?” she asked, “this is serious, you know.”<br/>	“I don’t know how to say it,” Hop replied, his voice cracking, “I know the Lampent stole away the soul of my mom’s Purrloin as it died. I don’t know what will happen to Leon, but I don’t like the idea of him being consumed by a Pokemon.”<br/>	Sonia looked down at the desk, unable to speak. Hop was about to lose his brother, and she was about to lose her childhood friend and rival. Hop’s eyes glimmered as tears threatened to escape his eyes. <br/>	“I don’t want him to die,” Sonia quietly said.<br/>	“I don’t either,” Hop replied, “I know he doesn’t think he’s in any danger, either. He might die just by his refusal to ditch that thing. Raihan said Piers had to help him after a serious injury in Wyndon.”<br/>	“What happened?” Sonia asked.<br/>	“Neither of them are sure,” Hop said, “Leon doesn’t remember and all Raihan knows is Leon was hurt.”<br/>	“Why not ask Piers?” Sonia proposed, “he was the one who found Leon after all.”<br/>	Hop stopped talking. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? He pulled his Rotom phone from his pocket and dialed Piers’ number. The phone rang for a moment before he heard Piers’ dead-soul monotone on the other end.<br/>	“What’s up?” Piers asked.<br/>	“Sorry for the out-of-the-blue call,” Hop said, “but I’ve gotta ask you something.”<br/>	“Shoot.”<br/>	“Raihan said you found Leon injured in Wyndon, do you know anything about what happened to him?”<br/>	Piers was quiet for a moment. This was a strange question, but he guessed he couldn’t be too surprised that Hop was concerned about his older brother. <br/>	“I caught Leon in a back alleyway near a clothing store,” he explained, “he was smacking his head against the wall and screaming at the top of his voice. The other Pokemon near him was a Lampent. I had Obstagoon attack it since I thought it had confused Leon, but in hindsight I think that was just one of Leon’s Pokemon traveling with him. It went home with him that day.”<br/>	Hop and Sonia froze. Lampent can learn Confuse Ray, and the two professors had seen Pokemon behaving self-destructively when confused. The only explanation was that Lampent had used Confuse Ray on Leon in an attempt to get him badly hurt. <br/>	“Piers, that Lampent has been stalking Leon for days!” Hop said in a panic, “it’s the only one who could’ve confused Leon!”<br/>	“Oh bollocks,” Piers muttered, “what’s a wild Pokemon following him for?”<br/>	“Lampent follow around people about to die,” Sonia frantically answered, “Leon’s in real trouble here!”<br/>	Piers was taken aback by the news. He was the one who took the fainted Lampent with Leon to his place in Spikemuth. It may be his fault that Leon is still in danger. Piers wasn’t only nervous for Leon, but furious at himself for potentially making his plight worse. <br/>	“Is Leon okay right now?” Piers asked, pretending to be less afraid.<br/>	“We don’t know,” Hop replied, “but we need to do something.”<br/>	“Easy,” Piers said, “we just get rid of the thing.”<br/>	Sonia shook her head. “That doesn’t help with the fact that Leon may die soon. Lampent follow people who are going to die so they can take their souls. Leon is simply getting close to his death.”<br/>	Hop looked away from Sonia, close to breaking down into tears. His brother was going to die. Die. As in the eternal sleep, one he’ll never come back from. He’ll never have lunch with his brother again, speak to him over the phone, play a game with him… Leon would be gone forever. Hop couldn’t handle it. His brother may have been absent for a great while because of his career as champion, but Hop still loved and looked up to him for as long as he lived. <br/>	“I’ll come to Wyndon the first chance I get,” Piers said, “you all should too. He needs to listen to his friends and family.”<br/>	Sonia nodded. “Agreed.”<br/>	Hop looked back up, tears rolling down his face. He gave a nod and straightened out his face. <br/>	Before Piers could say another word, Hop’s Rotom phone blared out another ring. Someone was calling from the other line, and it looked like it was Raihan. <br/>	“Piers, Raihan is calling,” Hop told him, “we’ll convene in Wyndon later.”<br/>	“Alright,” Piers said, “see ya.”<br/>	Hop pressed the button to accept Raihan’s call, and instantly he was greeted with Raihan’s heavy breathing, sniffing, and sobbing. Hop’s stomach twisted as he pressed on with the call.<br/>	“Hop! Sonia!” Raihan shouted, “come to the hospital in Wyndon as soon as you can! Leon’s here, we got into a fight and he collapsed in the kitchen. I don’t know if he’s okay, but please come here!”<br/>	Raihan abruptly hung up, leaving both Hop and Sonia in a deafening silence and paralyzed with anxiety. Sonia slowly pulled out her Rotom phone, dialing the number for a Flying Taxi. <br/>	Please, Hop thought, let him be alive.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Hospital</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leon’s eyes fluttered open. It took him a moment to process his surroundings before he fully woke up, his only company being his Lampent. There wasn’t enough light in the room for Leon to see, but he knew he wasn’t home. In one of his arms, he could feel something attached and starting to sting just a bit. He noticed he wasn’t wearing his normal clothes, but a hospital gown, too. This time, he’d wound up in a bad enough situation to go to hospital. <br/>	Leon looked over at the chair in the corner of the room. He could see Raihan, hunched over and asleep in it. Shit, he must’ve been out for a while if Raihan fell asleep waiting for him. As Leon’s mind started to wake up, he started to feel some guilt. He didn’t mean to shout at Raihan, it’s just what he ended up doing. Leon believed he was doing fine still, and he was glad to be standing his ground, but Raihan didn’t deserve the scolding he got. Hell, maybe him passing out was the universe punishing him for that. <br/>	Leon couldn’t read the analog clock on the wall, but with the darkness of the room, he assumed it to be night. The curtains were shut, but it hardly made a difference. He didn’t have his Rotom phone on him either, so he couldn’t tell Hop or his mom what happened. Lampent let out a ghostly howl, seeming to Leon as if it felt just as sad as he did. <br/>	He took a long look at it. He’d been told it was dangerous, but even now in the hospital, Leon still felt like this Lampent hadn’t caused him any harm. It seemed devoted to him in a way no other Pokemon had been since his Charizard. He couldn’t buy for a moment that Lampent was a bad Pokemon, and if anything, the reputation it had as a bad Pokemon made Leon want to befriend it and care for it even more. The incident in Wyndon had to have been a coincidence, Leon was sure. After all, lots of Pokemon knew Confuse Ray and Supersonic, one could’ve happened to be in Wyndon. <br/>	Raihan’s face began to twitch. In his seated position, it looked like he was dreaming. His teeth were clenched and he looked distressed, much to Leon’s worry. Leon inched closer to Raihan’s side of the room, trying to reach out his arm. He took Raihan’s cold hand in his, and leaning further over, ran the other hand gently through his hair. <br/>	“I’m here, love,” he murmured, “I’m okay. I’m right here.”<br/>	Raihan didn’t wake up, the poor guy must’ve been exhausted. Leon cared greatly for Raihan, he wanted to let him know that. He didn’t want to hurt Raihan again. Even if they disagreed at times, it wasn’t worth fighting over. Although Leon wanted Raihan to get his rest, he also really wanted to let Raihan know he was okay and to apologize for the argument. He put a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder and gently shook it a bit, trying to rouse him from his sleep. When Raihan’s eyes opened, he was greeted with Leon leaning all the way over his hospital bed and staring into his eyes.<br/>	“Morning, sunshine,” Leon greeted.<br/>	Raihan was speechless for a moment. It only took him about five seconds to start crying, pulling Leon a bit forward and into a hug.<br/>	“Are you okay?” Raihan asked, “do you feel any pain?”<br/>	Leon chuckled. “You’re squeezing me a bit tight, as a matter of fact.”<br/>	Raihan backed off, but with tears in his eyes he looked away from Leon. Raihan just didn’t want Leon to see him crying so hard, but Leon interpreted this gesture as Raihan being angry with him. <br/>	“I’m sorry,” Leon said, “about what happened earlier. I was out of line.”<br/>	Raihan shook his head. “Don’t worry about that now. You’ve had a heart attack, you know.”<br/>	Leon felt a pang in his chest. A heart attack!? Leon could admit he’s had a rough few days, rougher than he wants to admit, but how could it have escalated that much.<br/>	“How long was I out?” Leon asked in a panic.<br/>	“A couple hours, don’t worry,” Raihan answered, “I called Sonia and Hop over to see you. I figured you’d want the company.”<br/>	Leon nodded. “Thank you. I’m sorry about this.”<br/>	Raihan gave him a look. “Are you apologizing to me for having a heart attack?”<br/>	“Why wouldn’t I? I worried you.”<br/>	“Leon!” <br/>	Leon chuckled nervously at this, but in his heart he did feel sorry. Could he control whether or not he had a heart attack? Well, probably not, but it’d be a lot better if he could’ve just not. That way he wouldn’t have to have been injured again and worried everyone around him. <br/>	“I worry about you,” Raihan said, “I really do.”<br/>	Leon looked down. “I wish you didn’t have to. I’m trying as hard as I can to be self-reliant and I’m still getting into situations like this.”<br/>	“You’re not invincible, Leon,” Raihan stated, “you’re human. You need to let yourself rest.”<br/>	Leon wanted to be invincible. When the Galar region praised him as an unbeatable champion, no one was worried about him losing his championship title, not even to Raihan. Ever since Victor had become the champion, it felt like people had begun to doubt his strength. To doubt him. He wanted that faith in him to be restored, even if it meant working himself to the bone to do it. He didn’t need to be better than anyone else, he needed to improve over how weak he truly was. <br/>	“I want you to stay in the hospital until you’ve healed properly,” Raihan said, “I called the League staff and they’ve agreed to let you take this time off. You can’t keep working yourself to death.”<br/>	“It isn’t that bad, though,” Leon defended, “I can go back tomorrow!”<br/>	“Leon. Do not.” Raihan wore an expression as if he was about to punch Leon in the face for even suggesting it. Leon shut up.<br/>	“I don’t want to stop you from your goal,” Raihan said, “but you can’t keep doing this to yourself. If you have another heart attack, you may be dead for good.”<br/>	Leon stopped arguing with him. He wanted to protest, he wanted to go back to work and finish his work on Rose Tower, but Raihan wasn’t having it. Lampent was looking directly at Raihan, a menacing glare on its face.<br/>	“Okay,” Leon said, “I’ll stay here.”<br/>	“Thank you,” Raihan said, taking Leon’s hand, “I don’t want this to happen again. I don’t like seeing you hurt, you know.”<br/>	“You’re not exactly catching me at my best,” Leon replied, “I don’t want to worry you, though. I love you.”<br/>	Raihan smiled and replied, “I love you.”</p><p>	When Hop and Sonia arrived, Leon had never seen them in such a state of panic. In seconds upon seeing Leon awake, they both ran over to the bed to hug Leon.<br/>	“Do you feel okay?” Hop asked.<br/>	“Yes, yes,” Leon responded, “thank you for coming to see me.”<br/>	“It was no trouble,” Sonia said, “we needed to know if everything was okay, so we came as soon as Raihan called. Piers is on his way, too.”<br/>	“Piers?” Leon asked, “why would he come?”<br/>	“To see how you’re doing,” Sonia answered, “he was worried, too.”<br/>	Leon looked shamefully at his bedsheets. Everyone around him was witnessing him at his weakest point, and he despised it. <br/>	“What happened?” Hop pressed.<br/>	“I had a heart attack,” Leon nonchalantly stated, “Raihan took me here to recover.”<br/>	Leon’s calm tone didn’t alleviate the shock that Hop and Sonia both felt. One heart attack had potential to kill, and they felt in their hearts that Leon simply got lucky.<br/>	“I’ll be okay,” Leon reassured, “when I’m recovered enough I’ll be out of here.”<br/>	“Do you know when that is?” Sonia asked.<br/>	“Could be anywhere from a week to a month. My injuries from Eternatus and the situation in Wyndon are still healing up,” Leon said.<br/>	Hop kept glancing uncomfortably at the Lampent, who shifted its glare from Raihan to Hop. Hop knew that ultimately, that Lampent was why he was in the hospital to begin with. Hop hated that thing, hated it. He didn’t like it hovering above Leon like that, like a lion guarding its food. Hop didn’t want to one day have to bury his brother. <br/>	Piers walked in the door alone, wearing his usual mopey look. When he looked at Leon, though, it was evident that he’d softened up.<br/>	“I’m relieved to see you’re okay,” Piers told Leon.<br/>	“Thank you for visiting me,” Leon replied, “I wasn’t expecting you here.”<br/>	“Felt I needed to come. I’ve got business here, so I’m sticking around town for a bit. Besides, having friends’ support in your time of need takes off some of the pain,” Piers explained.<br/>	“I appreciate your support,” Leon said, looking around the room, “that goes for all of you, really.”</p><p>	When the lot of them left in the night, Leon had felt better after having spent time with everyone. He felt whole, he felt happy. <br/>	Lampent didn’t like that. No, not one bit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh, did you think it would be that easy? Haha no<br/>The nice comments and kudos really mean a lot, and I just broke 200 hits! Thank you all so much for supporting me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Imprisoned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lampent had been waiting patiently for Leon to pass for the last few days. It was confident that he would’ve cracked his skull when he was confused or maybe never came back from the heart attack; but this guy just kept getting lucky! He hated Raihan, he hated Hop, he hated those people stopping it from eating Leon’s soul. Lampent was sure that his time was near, but it was sick of playing the waiting game. Lampent wasn’t a great battler, with only one attacking move, but it knew for sure that with its moveset it could make Leon suffer.<br/>	Hop was visiting Leon in hospital that day while Raihan was at the gym. Sonia allowed him to take the day off to spend time with him. She figured that Leon would be lonely if he were to stay there that whole time, and besides, Hop was worried about his older brother. In that time, though, Hop had to tell Leon what was up with the company he’d picked up.<br/>	“I spent a lot of time observing Lampent in the wild,” Hop told him, “and they’re much more aggressive than you’d like to think. One could even call them malicious.”<br/>	“That’s a strange thing to say though,” Leon replied, “that’s just how Pokemon are. In the wild, they need to survive, so they do violent things.”<br/>	Hop shook his head. “Humans are afraid of Lampent because Lampent goes for humans a lot of the time. In the wild, I’ve seen them hovering over fallen Pokemon as they lay dying; and the Pokedex in Unova says they’ll do this to people in hospitals.”<br/>	Leon didn’t want to believe this. However, he knew that Hop would know much more about Pokemon than he did. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, Leon had to listen to Hop.<br/>	“I just thought that in the wild, they acted out because that’s how wild Pokemon are,” Leon explained, “it warmed up to me so quickly I thought it just wanted to be friends.”<br/>	“That’s understandable,” Hop said, “but regardless, you need to find a way to ditch that thing and get help.”<br/>	Lampent was infuriated by the notion. How dare he say something like that, and right in the presence of it, no less! It glared at Hop, irate and ready to attack. <br/>	“Yeah,” Leon said, “I need help. I wasn’t willing to admit it, but I guess if I want to get better, I should stop denying it.”<br/>	Hop smiled, approaching his brother and giving him a big hug. He held back tears, just this once, so he could simply feel proud in this moment. So proud of his brother, just like he always had been before. <br/>	“You’re so strong, Lee,” Hop said, “you’re gonna be okay.”<br/>	Leon put his arm around Hop. “I really hope so, Hop.”<br/>	Hop quietly left the room, shutting the door behind him. Lampent levitated closer to Leon’s face, its own face rife with fury. Leon felt a surge of anxiety wash over him as the eyes bore through his skull.<br/>	“You heard all of that, didn’t you?” Leon said, “and yes, you do have to go on now. It’s been nice, but I know why you’re here.”<br/>	The Lampent let out a furious howl, which made Leon jump a little. The air around him got hotter, tighter, and he began to panic.<br/>	“Don’t get angry! Please, I don’t want any trouble, but I need you to go!” Leon shrieked.<br/>	This only seemed to make the Lampent even angrier, flailing about its arms and expelling hot air. Leon got up from the bed and made for the window, reaching for the latch on it. If he could get it open, then he could chase the thing out, right? He fiddled and wiggled at the lock, unable to move it even an inch. Even with all his strength, it refused to turn at all. <br/>	“Come on! Open up!” <br/>	Leon bashed on the covered window, punching at it and screaming at the top of his voice. He threw away the curtain, not only seeing that there wasn’t a single crack in the glass, but there was nothing outside. It was dark outside, but there were no buildings, no ground, and no people or Pokemon. His face went pale in terror. Trying to disregard it, he rushed for the door to escape the hospital room, trying desperately to get the door open, but it was stuck. The door had no lock on it, inside or out, so why wouldn’t it turn? Leon pulled and pulled, sweat dripping down his face as if he’d just run a marathon. He was panting, almost crying, and in more terror than he’d ever experienced in his life.<br/>	“What’s going on? Please, someone help!” he cried, hoping a nurse would hear. Nobody came, but Lampent floated down, cackling in a ghostly tone. <br/>	Lampent was using Trick Room. Leon wasn’t in his hospital room, he was in a warped dimension that simply resembled it. There was nothing outside, nobody, and Raihan still had his phone. On top of that, he had no Pokemon with him that could battle the Lampent. The way things looked, this would never end until Leon was dead. <br/>	Leon had never been so powerless, and Lampent knew it. In fact, the Lampent knew this and relished in it. Leon was on his knees, in a ball and sobbing. He could hardly breathe at all, he’d never been so afraid. This had to be the end.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Illusions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leon was all alone with a Lampent, a Pokemon with untold power, just about ready to kill him. He didn’t stand a chance. Lampent had the high ground in this encounter, and the malevolent being was all too aware. In fact, it was pleased about it. The soul of an almost undefeated former champion must be particularly delicious, that’s why it was so dogged about following Leon specifically.<br/>	The Pokemon could understand every word Leon said, but Leon could never understand it. <br/>	“Let me leave!” Leon pleaded, “I’m begging you! Hop and Raihan won’t know I’m here!”<br/>	“That’s too bad,” Lampent groaned, “I’ve waited ages for you to finally die. I’m hungry and I want to feast on your soul. In this weakened state, it should be no problem.”<br/>	All Leon could hear, however, was the ghostly wailing of Lampent’s name. This was particularly annoying for Lampent, but it didn’t care, it was just ready to make him pay. <br/>	“Nurse! Please!” Leon bellowed, tears streaming down his face, “please! Let me out, Lampent, please!”<br/>	The Pokemon shook its head, whipping around its arms to create the dancing lights of a Confuse Ray. Leon, horrified and recognizing the move, ran to the other end of the room. The room, however, was too small for Leon to get very far. Lampent had him cornered easily as the lights circled around his head. Leon tried to look away, but no matter where he turned, the glittering wisps followed. <br/>	“No, not this again!” he screamed.<br/>	The room distorted, objects in it fading away and morphing into people. People he knew? He looked closer, noticing that Raihan had appeared in place of the IV drip. Leon shook his head furiously.<br/>	“This isn’t real!” he yelled, “I know this isn’t real!”<br/>	Raihan looked him up and down, seemingly annoyed at Leon directly telling him that he wasn’t real. He seemed to stare straight through Leon, and the love and compassion he once saw in him had faded. <br/>	“You should’ve listened to me,” he snarled, “why wouldn’t you?”<br/>	Leon froze. This wasn’t real, so why did he sound so much like the real deal? Usually mimics had some type of giveaway, but the difficult part was that his rage sounded real. It wasn’t just that the voices were identical, Raihan’s raw emotion seeped in through his voice. Had Lampent observed Raihan so well that he was able to create a perfect mimic of him?<br/>	“I know this is a trick!” Leon yelped, “you’re trying to get me hurt again!”<br/>	Raihan glared. “All I ever tried to do was stop you from getting hurt, and this is how you treat me?”<br/>	Leon couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Did he know that this wasn’t real? He was sure that this was one of Lampent’s illusions, he was positive of it! Yet, he was doubting himself, this Raihan seemed so genuine. <br/>	“What?” Raihan growled, “got nothing to say to me? For once you’ll stop talking and just listen to me? I can barely believe it!”<br/>	Leon became more guilty with each word Raihan spoke. He was absolutely right. He’d never listened to Raihan, and now he was paying the price for it. Raihan had the courage to give it to him straight because Leon had allowed it to boil over so much. He began to sob, frustrated and angry with himself; and he lamented that he couldn’t have been better to Raihan. Raihan just laughed in his face.<br/>	“You think crying will undo your mistakes?” Raihan taunted, “you’ve screwed up worse than you could ever imagine! Can’t even face me, can you? You’re a coward! A no-good coward who lost the champion title to a nobody!”<br/>	Leon’s breaths became short and sharp as he cried harder. He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t say anything that would help. He really was a coward, wasn’t he? <br/>	“Get up and speak to me!” Raihan demanded, “I’m sick of watching you grovel!”<br/>	Leon pulled himself to his feet, still unable to look at Raihan. Lampent watched with glee as its prey struggled, screamed, cried, and pleaded. Leon tried to look back, but Raihan’s glare continued to pierce.<br/>	“Got anything to say to me?”<br/>	Leon let in a sharp breath.<br/>	“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I never listened to you, I’m sorry I only cared about myself. I’m sorry that I prioritized my ego over my health and pushed you away. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you enough and now I’ll never get to see you again! I’m sorry that I was never good enough for you and I’m sorry that the best I’ll ever be to you is dead and buried!”<br/>	A grin stretched across Raihan’s face.<br/>	“That’s right. That is the best you’ll ever be.”<br/>	Leon frowned. He was right, there was no disputing it. Leon hated feeling that way, but the black shadow of doubt had engulfed him more completely than it ever had before. Leon did not want to die, but he did not want to make the lives of others worse by being around. In the grand scheme of things, all Leon was good for was being the unbeatable champion of the Galar region.<br/>	And he failed. <br/>	It felt as if Leon’s chest had cracked in half, pushing back his urge to sob so he wouldn’t be berated for it. This wasn’t like him and he knew it, but all the same, he was consumed. Consumed by lots of different things.<br/>	Despair.<br/>	Heartbreak.<br/>	Loathing.<br/>	Malcontent.<br/>	It felt as if his whole world had crumbled. Everything had decayed after he lost his title. He was heaped in work that took a destructive toll on him. His brother and boyfriend began to doubt him. He had a heart attack and the worst argument he’d ever had with Raihan. Worst of all, the Lampent. <br/>	Leon was defeated, alright. In such a way he could only dream of recovering from. <br/>	“Lampent.”<br/>	Leon’s voice cut through the silence, shocking the Pokemon a little bit. Naturally, it came down to greet him. The malicious look remained in its face, but Leon’s face conveyed only exhaustion. Leon had given up. He was finished.He couldn’t come back from this, it was pointless to fight. <br/>	“Why are we dragging this out?” he asked, “if you’re gonna do me in, then just get on with it already.”<br/>	Lampent was surprised, not expecting to hear something like that from Leon. He was giving up? Just like that? It felt too easy. The Lampent only stared while Leon’s drained eyes remained fixed in one spot. <br/>	“Please,” Leon murmured.<br/>	Lampent was motionless, almost feeling a little bit of pity. However, it came here with a goal, and it was going to stick to it. <br/>	Lampent wailed out a cry as a purple gas began to expel from its body. The gas smelled awful and made Leon’s eyes water. Lampent was using Smog. Leon coughed as the gas began to enter his lungs. The world around him began to feel tight, his chest felt tight, it felt as if he would collapse in on himself. He coughed harder, louder, his eyes burning as tears poured out.<br/>	He could hardly believe he allowed this to happen, but in the moment, he felt as if it was the only right thing to do. </p><p>	As Leon’s final breath escaped him, he thought about the day he met Raihan.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! I plan to write some more stories after this, so stay tuned for that if you liked this. I'm pleased to have seen so many nice comments and kudos left, I appreciate the support. See you next time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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